Steering attachment for boat motors



Nov. 8, 1966 Filed April 7, 1965 E. A. NELSEN 3,283,738

STEERING ATTACHMENT FOR BOAT MOTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ERNEST A.NELSEN ATTYS.

E. A. NELSEN 3,283,738

STEERING ATTACHMENT FOR BOAT MOTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 8, 1966 FiledApril 7, 1965 Z7 25 32 3! 23 0 2.2 l ,20 Z] I I g5 INVENTOR. I ERNEST/1.NELSEN ATTYS.

United States Patent 3,283,738 STEERING ATTACHMENT FOR BOAT MOTORSErnest A. Nelsen, Bollinger Hotel, Lewiston, Idaho Filed Apr. 7, 1965,Ser. No. 446,241 4 Claims. (Cl. 115--18) This invention relates to anovel steering attachment for outboard motors mounted at the transom ofa boat.

The present invention is concerned with a simple attachment that can bereadily mounted on an auxiliary outboard motor to provide remotesteering control of the motor without interfering with the normal motoroperation and its usual capability to be tilted out of the water.

Outboard powered boats today generally are supplied with a large enginefor powering the boat under normal circumstances. These large enginesare not practical for slow travel, as is necessary when fishing ormerely following along a shoreline. It is very common for such a boat tobe equipped with a second outboard engine smaller than the first andmounted on an auxiliary transom that is carried on the larger maintransom on which is mounted the larger motor. Often the smaller engineis mounted at a lowered location that makes impossible the use of theconventional handle provided for manual steering. The present inventionprovides a rather simple mechanical accessory powered by an electricmotor to permit remote steering of a motor so mounted.

It is a first object of this invention to provide a positive steeringattachment that will automatically hold any adjustment set on it, allsuch adjustments being readily made from the remote position in theboat.

Another object of this invention is to provide such an attachment thatis universally adaptable to any type of engine and any type of transommounting.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mechanical positivesteering control attachment that will not restrict the usual ability ofthe motor to be tilted from the water when it is not in operation.

These and further objects will be evident from a study of the followingdisclosure, taken together with the accompanying drawings, whichillustrate a preferred form of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of a rear portion of a boat equippedwith a large main motor and having a smaller auxiliary motor providedwith the instant steering attachment;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, omitting the larger motor andshowing the auxiliary motor tilted upwardly;

FIGURE 3 is a rear view of the auxiliary motor as mounted on the boatand provided with the attachment;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged bottom view of the attachment when not mountedin use, the view of the attachment being substantially as seen alongline 4-4 in FIG- URE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is an elevation view of the attachment as shown in FIGURE 4.

The device desrcibed below is an attachment for use in combination withthe conventional type of outboard motor mounting in use today to providean auxiliary motor as an alternate to a larger outboard motor on a boat.The attachment is shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 apart from the combination inwhich it is used in FIGURES 1 through 3.

Referring to these drawings the boat is shown with a main rear transom11 on which is mounted a large main motor unit 12 with a small auxiliarymotor unit 13 carried on an auxiliary transom 14 mounted on the maintransom 11. The use of an auxiliary transom is not essential to thepersent disclosure and is generally provided in order to insure theproper elevational adjustment of the 3,283,738 Patented Nov. 8, 1966auxiliary motor unit 13 relative to the larger transom 11.

The motor unit 13 is conventional. It includes a motor housing 15pivotally carried on a motor mount 16 for rotation about the axis of thedrive shaft that leads from the upper motor unit to the lower propellerunit. The motor mount 16 includes a fixed bracket 17 with threadablyengaged clamps 18 that normally secure the bracket 17 to the transom 14.The motor housing 15 is therefore free to turn about the axis of thedrive shaft for steering purposes and is free to pivot upwardly relativeto the bracket 17 so that the unit can be lifted from the water (FIGURE2).

The steering attachment can best be understood from the disclosure ofFIGURES 3 through 5. It includes a rigid downwardly open channel 20, theflanges of which are bent inwardly at one end 21 to assist inpositioning the channel 20 over the top end of the transom 14. Channel20 fits over the top edge of transom 14 and is held in place byengagement of the manually adjustable clamps 18. It provides a fixedsupporting member on the transom 14 that protrudes outwardly to one sideof the motor unit 13.

At the outer end of channel 20 is carried a bracket including a bearing22 held in place by U-bolt 23 and nuts 24. The bearing 22 pivotallymounts a pivot stem 25 which in turn pivotally carries a bracket 26.Thus, the bracket 26 is free to pivot relative to the channel 20 aboutthe axis of its connection to tem 25 and also about the pivotal axis ofstem 25 within bearings 22. Both of these axes are perpendicularrelative to one another.

Fixed at the outer end of bracket 26 is :a transmission housing 27 thatcarries a motor unit 28. The motor unit 28 powers the transmission unit27 through a conventional worm gearing arrangement that is irreversible.The motor 28, however, is reversible, and is capable of turning theoutput shaft 30 of the transmission unit 27 in either direction ofrotation.

Mounted on the output shaft 30 of the transmission unit 27 is anextensible member comprising an externally threaded section 31 and aninternally threaded section 32, each being threadably engaged with theother so that longitudinal adjustment relative to one another ispossible by rotation of either member. The outer end of member 32 isslotted at 33 to receive an ear 34 of a bracket 35 fixed to the motorhousing 15. The location of the ear 34 must be radially offset from theaxis of the drive shaft of the motor unit 15 about which it is pivotallymounted on the motor mount 16, thereby insuring the necessary steeringleverage to pivot the motor 'housing 15. The outer end of member 32 ispivotally connected to the ear 34 by .a releasable pin 36. The axis ofthe pivotal connect-ion formed due to the pin 36 is perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the coaxial members 31, 32. Also, it is to be notedthat the pivotal axes of the bracket 26 relative to the panel 20 areeach perpendicular to the axis of the members 31, 32.

The motor 28 is a conventional motor unit controlled by switches (notshown) that can be located at any desired remote location within theboat 10 and connected to the motor unit 28 by electrical leads 37, whichmay include a suitable releasable coupling 38. The externally threadedmember 31 can therefore be turned in either direction by selectiveoperation of the motor unit 28.

When the attachment has been mounted .as shown in FIGURES l, 2 and 3,the channel 20 will be fixed relative to the transom l4 and the outerend of the member 32 will be pivotally connected to the car 34 by meansof the releasable pin 36. The only additional connection that is notconventional is a power connection to the normal starting battery of thelarge motor unit 12 through the required control switches to power theelectric motor 28.

Operation of the motor 28 will cause the member 31 to rotate relative tomember 32, thereby either lengthening or shortening the effectivedistance between the bracket 26 and the ear 34. This will pivot themotor housing 15 about its axis on the motor mount 16. In this manner,the auxiliary motor unit 13 can be steered from a remote location.

The attachment does not in any manner interfere with the normal abilityof the motor unit 13 to be tilted upwardly as seen in FIGURE 2. Thetilting of the motor will not bind the connection between the channel 20and the motor housing 15, since the member 32 is free to pivot about itslongitudinal axis relative to the member 31, thereby providing a freeuniversal pivot connection to the steering attachment and alsomaintaining the steering adjustment originally set on the unit so thatthe motor unit 13, when again lowered into the water, will be set at thesame angle relative to transom 14 as it was prior to be lifted.

Various modifications can be made in the details of this structurewithout deviating from the basic concept of a positive steering controlattachment that is simple in nature, readily adapted to any boat andmotor and designed so as not to interfere with the normal use of themotor unit. For this reason, only the following claims are intended tolimit or restrict the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A steering attachment for an outboard motor mounted on an uprightboat transom, the motor including a motor frame pivotally mountedrelative to the transom for motion about an upright axis for steeringpurposes, comprising:

a rigid support fixed to the transom, one end of said support protrudingoutwardly to one side of the motor frame;

a longitudinally extensible member pivotally connected at one end to themotor frame about a pivotal axis parallel to and spaced radially outwardfrom the upright axis of the motor, said extensible member comprisingfirst and second coaxial longitudinal sections threadably engaged by oneanother along a longitudinal axis perpendicular to the pivotal axis bywhich said member is connected to said motor frame, the sections beingthreadably engaged in such fashion as to vary the effective length ofsaid member along said longitudinal axis responsive to rotation of onesection relative to the other;

a bracket mounted on said support adjacent the outer end thereofincluding a first element rotatably carrying the remaining end of saidextensible member for movement about the longitudinal axis thereof, anda second element, said second element being pivotally connected to saidfirst element about .a first bracket axis perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of said extensible member, said second element alsobeing pivotally mounted on said support about a second bracket axisperepndicular to both said first bracket axis and the longitudinal axisof said extensible member;

and power means on said first bracket element operatively connected toone of said sections of said extensible member to selectively rotatesaid one section of said extensible member relative to the remainingsection about the longitudinal axis thereof.

2. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said support comprises arigid channel adapted to fit over the top edge of the 'boat transom andto be clamped to the transom by the mounting clamps of the motor mount.

3. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said power meanscomprises a motor fixed to said first bracket element, said motor havinga rotatable output member drivingly connected to said one section of theextensible member through a worm gear drive.

4. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said power meanscomprises a reversible electric motor mounted on said first bracketelement and having a rotatable output member drivingly connected to onesection of said extensible member through a worm gear drive.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,916,008 12/1959Bauer -18 2,966,069 12/1960 Wise 74424.8 3,111,042 11/1963 Hoover74424.8 X 3,171,383 3/1965 Abelow 114144 X MILTON BUCHLER, PrimaryExaminer. ANDREW H. FARRELL, Examiner.

1. A STEERING ATTACHMENT FOR AN OUTBOARD MOTOR MOUNTED ON AN UPRIGHTBOAT TRANSOM, THE MOTOR INCLUDING A MOTOR FRAME PIVOTALLY MOUNTEDRELATIVE TO THE TRANSOM FOR MOTION ABOUT AN UPRIGHT AXIS FOR STEERINGPURPOSES, COMPRISING: A RIGID SUPPORT FIXED TO THE TRANSOM, ONE END OFSAID SUPPORT PROTUDING OUTWARDLY TO ONE SIDE OF THE MOTOR FRAME; ALONGITUDINALLY EXTENSIBLE MEMBER PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO THEMOTOR FRAME ABOUT A PIVOTAL AXIS PARALLEL TO AND SPACED RADIALLY OUTWARDFROM THE UPRIGHT AXIS OF THE MOTOR, SAID EXTENSIBLE MEMBER COMPRISINGFIRST AND SECOND COAXIAL LONGITUDINAL SECTIONS THREADABLY ENGAGED BY ONEANOTHER ALONG A LONGITUDINAL AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO THE PIVOTAL AXIS BYWHICH SAID MEMBER IS CONNECTED TO SAID MOTOR FRAME, THE SECTIONS BEINGTHREADABLY ENGAGED IN SUCH FASHION AS TO VARY THE EFFECTIVE LENGTH OFSAID MEMBER ALONG SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS RESPONSIVE TO ROTATION OF ONESECTION RELATIVE TO THE OTHER; A BRACKET MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORTADJACENT THE OUTER END THEREOF INCLUDING A FIRST ELEMENT ROTATABLYCARRY-